AMERICAN INDIANS

BISMARCK – In his 60 years on the farm, Milton Sovo Jr. has raised everything from peanuts and wheat to cattle and horses in southwestern Oklahoma. At about 1,100 acres, his spread is about triple the size of the typical U.S. farm.

American Indian farmers and ranchers involved in a decade-old lawsuit against the federal Agriculture Department were told Thursday not to lose hope. Dozens of them met in Bismarck to discuss their 1999 lawsuit, which alleges discrimination in granting USDA loans. The case has been mired in the courts.